WHEN fire damaged the Victoria Jubilee Hospital’s (VJH) neonatal care unit four months ago, many feared that the over 20 babies who were being treated there at the time would be displaced for long.

But with the help of the LIME Foundation, a refurbished and fully functional unit was opened last Friday, so that the proper care of premature infants at the hospital could be carried out without hiccups.

Speaking at the opening ceremony held at the hospital, Dr Orville Morgan, senior medical officer at VJH, said he was grateful for the new unit as it is one of the most important part of the hospital’s functioning.

“For some reason people see VJH, as a hospital we just go to and have babies. Unfortunately, not all babies are born bouncing and ready to go home, so this is a very important parts of the treatment and care that we provide. We have upgraded the facility so that we now have two qualified paediatricians on staff, and the plans are to improve the staff complement, if they will allow us,” Morgan said.

He added that when something is destroyed, it is an opportunity for improvement, and the new unit is the start of premier neonatal care, which the hospital dreams to provide in the near future.

Dr Andrei Cooke, board chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority,

(SERHA) said that the hospital was dear to him and with the upgrade, LIME Foundation has made it clear that it supports the hospital in bridging the gaps in health care.

Executive Chairman of LIME Foundation, Errol Miller commended the bravery of the staff who stepped in to help on the night of the fire and said that the foundation was committed to helping VJH whenever there is a need and had no problem accepting its proposal as it realised the importance of such a unit at a maternity hospital.

With the renovation, which cost $1.4 million, the section received a brand new air conditioning unit, blinds, signs to indicate the different sections, new painting, replacement of fittings and two reclining chairs. The nursery, intensive care unit lobby and the breast feeding room were also refurbished.

Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Dr Marion Bullock Ducasse said that the new unit adds to the baby-friendly hospital initiative, which Jamaica has signed on to. The initiative serves to further improve the services offered to children in hospitals across the island.

“We have a responsibility to ensure we have a suitable health environment as good health is essential to realise our development goals for 2030. We will continue to work in this regard to ensure that our children, in every facility they seek services, get the premium care, that they deserve,” Dr Bullock Ducasse said.

Verna Dwyer, acting CEO of the VJH, lauded the help of the staff members who rescued the babies and moved the unit’s equipment on the night of the fire to ensure that the hospital didn’t have a worse catastrophe. She commended the LIME Foundation and maintained that there is nowhere in the world that health care can be run solely by the Government.